TV Bites: Get Enlightened with Mike White and Lauren Dern

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· The Home Box Office has upped Enlightened, the comedy pilot from Year of the Dog collaborators Mike White and Laura Dern, to a full-season order. The single-cam series will star Dern as a "self-destructive woman who has a revelatory experience at a treatment center and becomes determined to live an enlightened life, creating unexpected havoc at home and work." The pilot, which was penned by White and based on a story by him and Dern, also features Luke Wilson, Diane Ladd (Dern's mother) and Sarah Burns. White issued a formal statement early this morning about the news: "I'm stoked to finally party with HBO... I feel lucky to have been given this opportunity to make something original, heartfelt and weird." [THR]

Showtime gambles on its own Shamelessness, DirecTV considers saving Damages, and more TV Bites after the jump.

· In other premium cable projects about self-destructive individuals, Showtime has ordered a dozen episodes of Shameless, a drama starring William H. Macy as the alcoholic patriarch of a large, unconventional, blue-collar family in Chicago. [Variety]

· In anticipation of FX not renewing Damages for a fourth season, Sony has entered talks with DirecTV about taking over the legal drama. [EW]

· Nike has aired the first new Tiger Woods commercial since the golf star's sex scandal. [Reuters]

· Tell your grandparents -- CBS has renewed Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune for their (approximately) 10,272nd and 10, 273th seasons. [Variety]

· Former Dynasty star Christopher Cazenove has passed away at the age of 64 from septicemia. [Reuters]



Comments

  • Citizen Bitch says:

    Oh no, not Dramages. I didn't realize it was in trouble.
    Go Mike White! Still my favorite Amazing Race contestant.

  • NP says:

    Sad about _Damages_. It's not the greatest show, but it's good.. and addictive. Also, Glenn Close. Yeah, it's hard to go wrong with her.

  • Nick says:

    One day I'm finally going to get on Jeopardy and issue so many roundhouse kicks that Alex Trebek will have no choice but to anoint me King of Questions and Emperor of Answers, pretty much to the max.

  • the moviegoer says:

    Laura Dern rules - some of her scenes in Inland Empire are my recent acting favorites - fully invested, heartfelt, weird...